10,000 Miles – End of a U.S. Tour

It’s a difficult task following the previous post of Bear Lodge and Badlands. Their uniqueness and history offer a variety of physical, intellectual and emotional experiences. This post is the return to New England from the two month tour and the end of one personal journey. The adventure in this segment was different than previous posts with great timing meeting my brother on the road.

Heading home…

Driving slowly out of Badlands looking into the horizon I thought of times when Native Americans respectfully lived with this land “taking” only what was needed with honor. This land was so difficult to live with even they called it “land bad” because of the scorching summer heat and brutally cold winters. I imagined millions of years previous when a variety of dinosaurs roamed long before the bison I was now bidding farewell to. There’s much to the imagination of Badlands, one of the most unique places I’ve visited which sits the strongest within me.

Continuing the hesitant press in the direction of the East the first stop was to fuel myself and Mitzy (the Montero) in Wall, South Dakota, home of the famous Wall Drugstore, a place I never heard of. A quick picture was enough since man made big box “landmarks” are of no interest. There was a greasy spoon diner across the street to supplement early oatmeal and coffee. Tasting a few forkfuls I should have found a rest area to make more oatmeal but hunger was setting in. After drinking a half gallon of water to wash breakfast away I hopped on 91 East setting the cruise control for a flat, uneventful 500 mile ride ending the day at Maple Springs Campground in Preston, Minnesota. John, the welcoming owner of the quiet family campground who hasn’t seen many CT plates, signed me in and gave directions to the campsite. I encountered the first camp rain that night since starting the tour almost two months previous. If you haven’t experienced being in a tent during rain it is one of the most soothing sounds as the raindrops quickly put you to sleep. Hearing bullfrogs with the rain was a reminder of being in a different climate zone with the dryness of the Midwest behind me.

Early the next morning Chicago was on the radar. My brother Jamie was in the city attending a tradeshow so timing to meet would be perfect. Being on the road throughout my career it’s nice to meet familiar people when away from home, especially family. The dirt roads and bison were now replaced with a web of concrete pathways and four wheeled transporters. I was missing the National Parks already. Jamie and I met in the lobby of a Marriot conference center where I didn’t feel out of place wearing jeans and a safari shirt since I’ve done the dress attire for years. I made myself more presentable with a shower and power nap before Jamie’s day was over. Walking to dinner the vast horizon could no longer be seen with towering skyscrapers filling the landscape. We caught a view of Jesse Jackson having dinner outside one of the restaurants on the way to our restaurant where we had an incredible dinner. The amount of food was the most I’ve eaten in one sitting since leaving Houston and much, much better than Ramen noodles and tuna! (Inside joke if you’ve been following the Tour!). We caught up on our latest life events and made it an early night for his work the next morning and the traveling I had ahead. After a pampering of a comfortable bed and a good night’s rest we had coffee before the city fully awoke and the concrete pathways filled with iron buffalo.

Taking longer than expected to get to Minister Creek Campground in Allegheny National Forest five hundred miles later, I was setting the tent with the aid of a headlamp. The overnight stop was short to rest my eyes before driving to Kane, PA recommended by my father who stops in this now quiet town on his way to his favorite hunting area. In early mill and manufacturing days Kane was a bustling town. Now, the antique town is fairly quiet with many empty storefronts. Continuing on I stopped at a rest area in New York where there stood a sign that told of an unfortunate battle between the Native Americans and American forces where the original land owners were overtaken. Three hundred miles later I was at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. I had dreams of playing professional baseball for the Red Sox as a youngster and played until college where studies dictated my time. The museum changed quite a bit from what I remembered many years previous and it was fun to see the old equipment and read of past Hall of Famers including one of the best, Ted Williams. It also reminded me of the baseball card collection I should have held on to! Having plenty of daylight hours after visiting the museum I drove back roads of upstate New York before heading southeast a few hundred miles further to Connecticut ending an exciting lifetime tour with mixed emotions and many thoughts.

The next and final post on the U.S. Tour are my thoughts and highlights and a chance for you to vote for your favorite Tour stop!!

– Greg

“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin